Brady braced for Belgium backlash

Republic of Ireland winger Robbie Brady has warned his team-mates of the threat that Belgium will pose when the two teams meet at Euro 2016.

Martin O’Neill’s side, 2.38 to qualify, picked up a 1-1 draw in their first match against Sweden while Belgium failed to perform and lost 2-0 to Italy.

Marc Wilmots’ men were expected to be one of the top teams but their start in Group E left a lot to be desired.

On Saturday, the two sides will meet in Bordeaux and a win for Ireland would give them a great chance of qualifying for the knockout stage.

Belgium come into the game with fitness doubts, with both Eden Hazard and Kevin de Bruyne carrying knocks after defeat to the Azzurri.

An opening defeat for Belgium puts them under severe pressure and Brady admits his side must be ready for a tough battle.

“We know they’re a top-class team and they’ll be coming in prepared. They’re obviously going to be coming to win as well as we are,” he told reporters. “I’m not sure what they will be feeling, to be fair, but we’ll just be doing our part to get ready for them and hopefully it’s a good game.

“I’m sure they’ll be wanting to pick up some sort of result with the defeat the other night, but we’ll just be concentrating on ourselves and hopefully we can do enough to push us forward again.”